Review: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze has fun in every barrel

Say it with me everyone, “He’s the leader of the bunch, you know him well. He’s finally back to kick some tail.”

That gem was from the Donkey Kong 64 DK Rap. We haven’t seen a new Donkey Kong title for over three years since Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Wii. Last year’s 3DS game was just a remake of Donkey Kong Returns on the Wii. Retro Studios have finally developed a followup for Wii U called Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and it’s one of the most delightful titles on Nintendo’s struggling home console.

There’s not much of a plot in the game beyond Donkey Kong celebrating his birthday with some of the closest Kongs in his family. An evil force known as the Snomads blow an icy wind from their pirate ships and take over DK’s island. It’s up to you and your Kong family to save the day.

If you’ve ever played Donkey Kong Country on the SNES or the more recent Donkey Kong: Returns, it’s all the same here. Donkey Kong is 2D platforming at its finest. As DK, you’ll have your standard ground pound move and rolling attack to fend for enemies. Let’s not forget the classic “jumping on their heads” mechanic as well. You’ll have to get across six worlds, each with about 5 levels. There’s also some hidden stages you’ll have to dig a little deeper to find. Did I mention the awesome mine-cart levels? Because they rule.

In Returns, Diddy Kong had a jetpack to help you out with long jumps in single-player. It’s the same here in Tropical Freeze except there are also two new characters to help you out. addition. Dixie Kong returns in her first title since 1997’s Donkey Kong Land III for the Game Boy. She’s also probably known for Diddy’s Kong Quest on the Super Nintendo. Her main ability is how her hair allows the player to double jump. She swerves upward as opposed to Diddy’s downward jetpack landing.

One of the crazier editions is Cranky Kong in his first playable appearance. Technically, Cranky Kong is Donkey Kong’s father, at least according to the original Donkey Kong, but let’s not get into semantics here. Cranky’s ability is the pogo jump, probably borrowed from Scrooge McDuck in the DuckTales’ games. You’ll be able to pogo non-stop on the ground, resulting in dangerous jumps. Sometimes these result in you not being able to save yourself from an endless fall.

Underwater levels are back in DK: Tropical Freeze

Each world ends in a boss stage for the most part and Tropical Freeze has some seriously inventive boss battles. Whatever Kong you use in the situation will differentiate the game’s bosses slightly. For example, a flying boss might be easier with Dixie but if the boss battle has platforms, Cranky is able to pogo bounce on them.

One thing Donkey Kong Country Returns did well was offer an appropriate difficulty. It was a tough game where you could sometimes lose up to 30 lives on one level but at the same time, it wasn’t cheap and you were able to understand why you were messing up. Tropical Freeze ups the ante at times which can be frustrating, but it also never feels unfair. Just make sure you don’t throw that big Wii U GamePad around.

Speaking of the GamePad, Nintendo has done something interesting here when it comes to how it’s used – because it isn’t. When you boot up the game, you’re prompted to choose your display; either through your TV or on the GamePad.

Despite the game’s name, it also features a wide variety of environments.

If you choose TV, you’re playing the game normally, however nothing is displayed on the GamePad. It’s something smart that Nintendo should be doing with some games. I can understand the need for it in Super Mario 3D World or New Super Mario Bros. U, but Tropical Freeze has no need for it and you’re saving battery by only using the buttons.

Of course, off-TV play is still available but the Wii U’s GamePad can sometimes feel a bit too big for playing a platformer with. Fortunately you can also use the Wii Remote, Remote + Nunchuk, and the Wii U Pro Controller with the game as well. Keep in mind that using the Remote and the Nunchuk or just the Remote will result in forced motion control just like in Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical freeze’s visuals are lush and great to look at. Everything here from the trees swaying in the background to the immense detail of DK’s fur is gorgeous and it’s all in glorious 1080p HD visuals. Some of the best graphical tricks come from the mine-cart levels where you’re popping in the back and foreground on tracks with various effects flashing you in the face.

Just like other Wii U platformers, high-definition graphics really do make a huge visual difference in Nintendo’s classic franchises.

If you’re looking for a Wii U game immediately, make no hesitation about Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. It’s in the running for my favorite Donkey Kong title since the original Donkey Kong Country and is a perfect successor to Donkey Kong Returns.

Now Retro Studios just needs to develop an F-Zero remake.

Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze was released on Feb. 21, 2014 for the Wii U.

My name is Perry Jackson and I'm an aspiring video game writer who wants to write about videogames for the rest of his life since they inspire me in terms of story, art and gameplay. You can find me here... read more, StickSkills.com and TouchArcade.comView author's profile